Photographer Henry Diltz frames DANNY COLLINS

Written by Shannon Rednour

Henry Diltz, folk musician and rock n’ roll photographer, began his 50-year career as the official photographer for Woodstock. His laid back approach and experience as a musician gave him the ability to capture artists in candid, intimate moments that had not been seen by the public before. Working with the likes of Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and The Beatles, Diltz’s work has graced publications like LIFE, Rolling Stone, and Billboard.

During filming for the movie DANNY COLLINS, Diltz was on hand to capture Al Pacino singing at a Chicago concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Through these images, Diltz uses his trademark style to present Pacino in a manner the public has never seen him before – that of a rock star.

Neil Diamond loosely inspired Al Pacino’s character in Danny Collins; from Al’s stance while performing at the Greek Theater to Neil’s composed manner at the Trans World Airlines terminal in 1971, Diamond’s influence is unmistakable.

Both Al Pacino and Mick Jagger are the center of attention in these iconic Diltz photographs. Though the time and place of each performance is different, Al was at the Greek Theater in 2014 and Mick was performing in Amsterdam in 1970, the energy and total focus of both artists is apparent.

Al Pacino at the Greek Theater and Robin Williams at Berkeley show off their incredible stage presence and crowd-pleasing antics in these similar and outstanding Diltz photographs.

In 2014 when Garth Brooks got his 18,000 audience members to sing “Happy Birthday” to Henry Diltz, the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm mimicked that of the crowd during Al Pacino’s performance at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.

One of Henry Diltz’s trademarks is his ability to capture candid, intimidate, behind-the-scenes photos of artists that uncover moments that have not been seen by the public before. These two photographs of the crew filming Al Pacino in DANNY COLLINS and Gina Lollobrigida on stage with David Cassidy in Melbourne, Australia in 1974, depict the work that goes into creating art that can be enjoyed by thousands of people.